Park Resorts, Caravan holiday, UK family break
I grew up with caravan holidays, every year my mum and dad drove us all down to Bournmouth and we would spend the week there, visiting the familiar places, spending the mornings at Sammy the Seahorse club and staying up late in the evenings for the entertainment and kids disco.
I have so many memories from our caravan holidays; playing tennis with my Dad who always hit the ball at my racket as I was useless at moving towards it, fancy dress competitions which we always entered and my mum coming up with costumes during the day, the zipwire in the park that was quite simply the Best Thing Ever.
Earlier this month, we took the boys on their first UK caravan break thanks to Park Resorts, and whilst we only managed a weekend due to the restrictions of school, it was everything I remembered. We have never taken them anywhere with evening entertainment, and whilst they played at being shy for around 60 seconds, they soon joined in decorating paper butterflies with the charismatic 'green coat'. They watched in awe as Sparky and Sparkle appeared first in a video and then on stage and they loved having a quick play in the newly refurbished arcade before bed. It was a quiet week being October with only around 15 children for the younger kids evening entertainment but the boys loved it.
We ate at the on site restaurant which had fast service and was family friendly with easily customised kids meals. Food could be taken into the main hall which made it easier to eat whilst the entertainment was on too.
Our park was Lower Hyde on the Isle of Wight and it had a great outdoor play park as well as some sports facilities but we didn't find the time to use them much as our stay was short. We could easily have spent more time in the park if we were coming for a week though, especially in the summer when the outdoor pool is open. There were lots of kids activities, but most of the free ones tended to be during the week and there wasn't anything that caught our eye over the weekend we were there. We found so many wonderful places to explore on the Isle that we were happy going out for the main part of the day and enjoying the facilities in the mornings and evenings.
Our caravan was basic but adequate. If we were staying for a whole week then I would have looked at upgrading, but with a double bedroom and a small double, a shower room and a seperate toilet alongside the kitchen and living area it had everything we needed. If you are thinking about travelling in the Autumn with a baby then be prepared. Caravans get chilly at night and we found Finn couldn't keep warm enough in the travel cot so we ended up with him in our bed which made it a little squashed. Next time I would take blankets to put under him as the plastic of the travel cot mattress was cold and there was no sheet provided.
Caravan holidays are definitely something I can see us doing more of as the boys get over. They work out great value as so much of the entertainment is provided and you can save money by eating at 'home'. The kitchen has an oven, hob and toaster and there is a fridge freezer. There was a supermarket just outside the park (around 5 minutes walk from our caravan) as well as a shop on site. The boys don't really care where we go away, everything is new and exciting for them and the most important part of their holiday is that they have Mummy and Daddy together and our full attention.
Thanks to Park Resorts for offering us this opportunity
Have you even done a caravan holiday with children? How did you find it?
Ah we went to the north east with park resorts earlier in the year, we really enjoyed it! How cute are the boys in their matching PJs?! OMG I want to be able to do 3 in matching things! :D xx
ReplyDeleteI've never done a caravan holiday but from camping I can second the joys of eating 'at home', it can take so much stress out of the evening when you don't need to worry about where you're going to eat and whether the children will like it/stay awake for it!!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you had a lovely stay. I had camping holidays every year as a child but we went to a caravan once and it was like luxury! The lounge in your caravan looks loads bigger than I remember of ours! x
ReplyDeleteMy boys love going in a caravan. We find we really need a 3 bed now the boys are bigger and for some reason caravans here are bigger than in France!
ReplyDeleteWe have always done caravan holidays with our boys as find them the best value anc the boys love it! We have booked to go to the isle of wight for may half term 2016 when we will be a family of 5! Expecting baby boy no 3 in jan. Cant wait. Love reading your blog as feel i can relate to it. Look forward to seeing more x
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